Kimi no Soba de
by AquaTitaniaMiyuki
Summary: After their first official day as union leaders begins to wind down, Ephemera and Skuld get a chance to settle down and talk. Canon setting. Spoiler warning for khux.


**yeahhh it's skulmera time baby! I don't have much else to say except that I want them to be happy. It's going to be difficult with all these crazy events unfolding around them in canon. But hey, at least they're together. Enjoy :)**

 **Song inspiration aka what I've had on repeat for hours as I was writing this: Dawn/Hikari's Theme ~ By Your Side (Ballad version)**

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_Kimi no Soba de_

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The clock tower still feels like something out of a myth, a fairy tale - full of secrets and unsolved mysteries, yet Ephemera doesn't feel the usual urge to explore the place from top to bottom or even read any of the books left behind by the foretellers, all sitting neatly on shelves just waiting for someone to wipe the dust off their covers and delve into their contents. Instead, he feels incredibly uneasy in the dark, winding halls of the large structure. It's the same feeling he had while sneaking in the first time without Yuu, like someone was watching him, getting ready to catch him in the act, except this time it's much worse because he has no idea what to expect.

Blaine and Lauriam seemed to have no problems with taking over what looked to be some storage rooms close to the foretellers' chamber, presumably so that they'd be able to check on the production of the Spirits from time to time. Blaine had also admitted that he rather liked tinkering with all the lab equipment, muttering something about needing to exercise his brain in order to relax. Ven seemed skeptical about taking one of the tower rooms for himself, but once he'd discovered that there was a telescope in one of them, he was quick to excuse himself after the meeting, scurry off, and hasn't been seen since. The only person's feelings toward moving in that Ephemera is completely unsure about are Skuld's. While she did seem to be as wary as he was upon the idea of making the tower their home sweet home, she wandered off almost as quickly as Ven did right after bidding everyone goodnight.

It doesn't feel right to have a big room all to himself, along with a comfy bed and a view of the whole town. Everyone had insisted that he get the room with a view because of his status as leader, which initially did flatter him, but now he's not so sure that he likes being so far away from everything. The fact that the room is so empty is off-putting as well. He wishes he could go back to his flat, overcrowded with piles of books, but cozy. _Safe._

Sighing, Ephemera makes his way to the balcony attached to his new room. At least he can easily get fresh air from here. He's just leant against the rails when a hand on his shoulder has him hollering and jumping away.

"Oh! Sorry!" Skuld says sheepishly, "I didn't think that would scare you."

Visibly relaxing at the familiar face, Ephemera catches his breath. "No, it's okay. Guess I was just lost in thought."

"As usual. And here I thought you deliberately left your door unlocked so I could visit. What were you thinking about this time?" Skuld leans on the rails in the same position he'd been in a minute ago. "Let me guess - you discovered something interesting about the tower."

"Well...no." Ephemera's mirth starts to fade. "I haven't actually explored this place yet."

She raises a brow. "Seriously? Even I went around to explore a bit. I would've thought that you'd be on your third lap around the corridors by now."

When he doesn't immediately respond, Skuld drops her teasing. "Ephemera, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ephemera lets that statement sit in the air for a moment before retracting it. "Okay, well, not one-hundred percent fine. But I'm not feeling sick or anything. It's just…"

He scratches his head, pouting at the ground below. "...Nothing's the same. I mean, a lot of things are the same, but it doesn't feel the same as before. I knew this world wouldn't be an exact copy of the old one, I made sure I was prepared for that, and Master Ava warned me beforehand, but now that we're finally moving forward and going through with everything, it's all just starting to get a bit over-"

"Wait, slow down, you're not really making sense to me."

Ephemera takes a few moments to gather his thoughts, shifting his weight on his hands wrapped around the railing. "...To be honest with you, Skuld...I'm kinda scared."

He expects another jab, a joke of some sort about how he's always the one in over his head, facing everything head-on with a grin. But nothing like that comes. Instead, Skuld just looks at him with a small smile.

"That's to be expected," she tells him softly, "You're our leader now. You've got a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders."

Ephemera sighs. "I'm used to you being the leader."

"That's nice of you to say, but you have to agree that I wasn't a very good one."

"What? Of course you were. We had so many victories and so many good times, all thanks to you!" Ephemera releases his grip on the rail to face her. "I don't know what Master Ava was thinking when she chose me...I'm not leader material at all. But you...you're already a leader, Skuld."

"Not a good enough one to make people stay."

"Come on, don't say that…"

Skuld laughs slightly. "Even you left me."

That's a jab right to the heart. Skuld must have seen his reaction, as she immediately looks away, speaking awkwardly. "Sorry, that was unfair of me...I know you were given an important task."

"No." Ephemera tentatively closes the gap between them and rests an arm on her shoulders. "I should've told you. I should've explained everything when I had the chance. I should be the one apologizing."

"It's okay." Skuld meets his eyes again. "I won't deny that I was upset at you for a while, but I'm over it now...because I finally understand how big your role is in the grand scheme of things."

"You sure? It's okay if you're still mad at me. I'll understand."

"We're fine. Promise."

"Ah, good," Ephemera replies lightly, "I know for a fact that hings would be a lot more difficult if you were still mad at me."

Skuld gently nudges his side with her elbow. "You're lucky that I'm a forgiving person."

He grins a bit, taking his arm off her and leaning on the rail again. "In all seriousness, I'm lucky to have you here. I'd be a lot more uneasy if I didn't know anybody else in the group."

She nods in agreement. "Me too."

Ephemera takes the break in their conversing to look up at the star-filled sky. "Ven seemed super excited to try out the telescope. I had no idea he could move so fast! He must be enjoying this night."

"Yeah, who wouldn't be? The sky's so clear and the view is fantastic."

"I'm definitely enjoying it. But I think it's mostly because I'm with you."

Skuld rolls her eyes. "And here I thought you'd matured a bit since the last time I saw you..."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Skuld laughs at his tone. "I'm just glad that you're still you. I was afraid that you'd let your promotion to Master go to your head."

"I would never. Even just using the word 'Master' sounds weird to me."

"I dunno...Master Ephemera doesn't sound that bad."

"No, stop!" Ephemera laughs, waving a hand, "It's too weird."

Skuld stares at him for a moment, her golden eyes wandering across his face. "I've missed that smile. This leader business has really been weighing down on you, hasn't it?"

Ephemera casually flips one end of his scarf over his shoulder to fiddle with the tassles, an old habit he does when he's trying to think of what to say. "It's not just the aspect of me being leader. I feel like there's also this unsettling energy that's been constantly in the air lately."

Skuld hums in thought. Ephemera's always had a strong hunch. His instincts had often saved them on tougher missions during their early days. "Do you think it has something to do with that new darkness you sensed the other day?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

Bouncing on her heels slightly as she stares at a random tree in the distance, Skuld answers honestly, "I think it'd be best if you worried about that another day. We have a lot of other important things we have to focus on."

"I can't just stop thinking about it altogether..."

"I know. But you can't overthink it either." Skuld lays a hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow gathering all those ingredients Blaine needs. I don't even know what most of them are or where we'll be able to find them…"

"...Alright." Ephemera resigns. As much as he wants to solve whatever it is that's bothering him, he can't do it half-awake.

"Tell you what," she adds, "How about we investigate this mysterious energy on our own? The others won't have to know. So in case it turns out to be nothing, at least we wouldn't have worried them."

He smiles again, the suggestion genuinely helping to ease his unnerve. "Sounds like a good idea to me. It'll be like the old days, you and me on our own little adventure."

Skuld begins to walk towards the balcony door, but she stops. A gentle breeze wafts through her long hair, and that's when Ephemera notices that its colour matches the beautiful night sky above. She makes her way back to him, wrapping her arms around his back and resting her chin on his shoulder. "I'm always here if you wanna talk, just remember that."

"I know," he states sincerely, hugging her back. Skuld's always been a little clingy. But he doesn't mind that trait at all. "You're my right hand."

"That hasn't been decided."

"I'm the leader. It's been decided _now_."

Skuld ruffles his hair affectionately. "Go to bed, nerd. You look awful."

"Thanks."

She heads back inside and Ephemera follows suit, shutting the balcony door behind him. "Really, Skuld. Thank you."

"Thank me when you've stopped doubting that you're going to be the best leader ever."

He lays a hand on his hip, looking almost smug. "Guess you're never getting a thank you then."

She shakes her head. "Someday. You just need time to accept it."

"Geez, is today my birthday or something? You're being awfully nice to me."

"Don't ruin it." Skuld gives him a look as she heads out the door. "Or else I'll give you another thing to worry about, and neither of us want that."

He almost misses the last thing she quietly says before taking her leave, her back bathed in moonlight and her movements so graceful - almost like a goddess. Her words leave him feeling weightless; ready to fly off in the nighttime zephyr.

"I'll be by your side when you realize just how amazing you are."

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 **Thank you for reading, have a nice day/night.**


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